Dave Edgeley
Chemistry PhD | Chartered Accountant | Business Scientist | GenAI Enthusiast
Bridging the gap between data, business, and technology to drive innovation.
- Want to use AI, but don't know where to get started?- Do you know which customers are at risk of leaving and how to retain them?- Struggling with siloed, disconnected data?- How well does your product pricing match up to your competitors?
about me
Hello! I'm Dave Edgeley, a Senior Manager in PwC's Deal Analytics team with a passion for turning complex data into actionable business insights through the power of AI. My expertise spans data architecture, engineering, and science, and I'm currently focused on empowering businesses to harness Generative AI. Whether it's integrating AI into daily operations or creating applications to tackle real-world challenges, I'm all about making technology work for people.Before joining PwC, I earned my Master's degree in Chemistry from Oxford and completed a PhD in Computational Chemistry. Along the way, I became a Chartered Accountant, melding the worlds of science and finance.
As a Business Scientist, I combine the technical skills of a data scientist with a deep understanding of business operations and strategy. My mission is to solve specific business challenges by applying analytics and machine learning. For example, in a company facing high customer churn, I might develop models to identify at-risk customers and determine effective strategies to re-engage and retain them.When I'm not diving into data or exploring the latest in AI, you'll find me chasing after my two wonderful children, running my designer goods business, or immersed in a good book on my Kindle.
project porfolio
Generative AI
1. Knowledge Management and StructuringDesigned and implemented a cost-effective AI system for knowledge management, combining multiple AI models and agent-based orchestrators. Scaled the solution from managing 100,000 to over 3.5 million documents for a major real estate client, significantly enhancing their document management efficiency.2. Bid Optimisation ToolCreated a Generative AI-powered tool to streamline public sector bid proposals. By automating the drafting and review process, the tool resulted in 20% faster initial reviews and was deployed across multiple bids, contributing to a substantial potential increase in annual revenue.3. AI-Enhanced ESG ReportingPioneered an innovative "AI focus-group" approach to improve ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting and reduce greenwashing risks in investment portfolios. This automation transformed a five-month manual process into a scalable solution, enhancing the robustness of ESG assessments.4. Contract Analysis PlatformDeveloped an AI-powered platform for contract management and key term extraction, enabling detailed reviews and analyses. This tool facilitated more efficient due diligence and informed decision-making across various types of contracts.5. Automated Proposal GenerationStreamlined the process of mining existing knowledge management systems to generate data analytics proposals. This included creating and updating project credentials and using Generative AI to identify and pursue new opportunities.6. AI-Driven Project ResourcingImplemented AI agents to optimize project resourcing by matching team members to projects based on skills and availability, improving efficiency and team utilization.7. Enterprise GenAI Learning PathwayDeveloped and integrated a live, business-focused prompt engineering guide into a global Generative AI learning pathway, enhancing AI adoption and understanding across the enterprise.8. AI Risk and Strategy ConsultingServed as a Generative AI subject matter expert to evaluate the risks and opportunities of AI adoption for a major consumer products company, informing their strategic decisions.9. Financial Due Diligence PlatformDeveloped a comprehensive financial due diligence platform integrating Generative AI at every stage. This solution automated routine tasks and offered AI assistance for complex analyses, enhancing efficiency and accuracy.
Machine Learning
1. Advanced Insurance Claim ValidationIntroduced AI technologies like facial recognition and speech analysis to authenticate identities and assess emotional states, improving the accuracy and integrity of insurance claim validations.2. Portfolio Distribution OptimizationGuided a data science team to apply machine learning techniques in optimizing a vast investment portfolio. The initiative improved distribution by over $400 million while navigating complex commercial and legal constraints.3. Advanced Cost-to-Serve ModelingCreated an advanced cost-to-serve model leveraging causal inference, revealing that cross-selling strategies and contract renegotiations could improve margins by about 7%. This critical insight supported a retail client's successful debt refinancing efforts.
Cloud and Data
1. Microsoft Fabric Data Platform for Capital ProjectsDeveloped a Microsoft Fabric data platform for capital projects by ingesting data from multiple sources—including schedules, costs, procurement, risk, and communications—to create an integrated data environment. This platform enables performance monitoring and risk modeling, answering critical "what-if" scenarios. For example, assessing the downstream impact on schedule and cost if a particular activity is delayed and determining whether it affects the critical path.2. Customer Analytics SuiteLed the creation of a customer analytics suite using Databricks and Power BI, delivering actionable insights for e-commerce businesses in under 24 hours. This solution has become a significant revenue generator, contributing approximately £4 million annually.3. Automated Financial Reporting ToolBuilt an automated consolidation and financial reporting tool for an energy infrastructure client within a tight six-week deadline. This solution averted potential carve-out delays and mitigated associated legal and financial risks.4. Metadata-Driven Reporting PlatformDeveloped a metadata-driven reporting platform using Microsoft Synapse. The platform streamlined data ingestion, validation, and modeling from various sources, enhancing transparency and supporting informed decision-making across multiple industries.
Web Scraping
1. Real Estate Market AnalysisCollaborated with real estate agents to web scrape data from Rightmove, analyzing property mix and pricing comparisons. Identified overpriced listings and overlapping catchment areas that weren't displaying all relevant properties. Conducted competitor mix comparisons, providing agents with actionable insights to optimize pricing strategies and improve property listing visibility.2. Competitor Pricing Intelligence for Retail StoresDeveloped repeatable web scraping pipelines to monitor competitors' product pricing for a builders' merchant. Enabled quick responses to competitor promotions by alerting the e-commerce platform. Conducted basket pricing comparisons for local stores to identify pricing opportunities to improve margins. Incorporated customer demographic data to assess pricing differentials based on local disposable income, aiding in strategic pricing decisions.3. Innovative Site EvaluationEmployed satellite imagery, computer vision, and web scraping to evaluate potential development sites. This innovative approach uncovered $30 million worth of land redevelopment opportunities by assessing site composition, approval likelihood, and market conditions.4. AI Business Analyst for Market InsightsBuilt a Generative AI tool that performs market analysis by reviewing reports and online articles. Enhanced with a web-scraping feature to extract up-to-date information from news feeds, offering valuable outside-in diligence.